L3. Cloud Deployment Models: Public, Private, and Hybrid
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Where your cloud resources physically reside determines your deployment model. AZ-900 tests public, private, hybrid, and the emerging multi-cloud pattern, plus when to choose each.
Cloud Deployment Models
The deployment model defines where cloud infrastructure runs and who controls it. The AZ-900 exam tests all three models and common scenarios for each.
Public Cloud
In a public cloud, all resources are owned and operated by a third-party cloud provider and delivered over the internet. Azure is a public cloud. Characteristics:
- No upfront CapEx required
- Resources are shared across multiple customers (multi-tenancy) with logical isolation
- Highly scalable on demand
- Maintained and operated by Microsoft
Private Cloud
In a private cloud, computing resources are used exclusively by one organization. The infrastructure can be hosted on-premises in the organization's own datacenter or by a third party, but resources are not shared with other organizations. Characteristics:
- Greater control over security and compliance
- Organization is responsible for hardware procurement and maintenance
- Higher upfront CapEx
- Limited scalability compared to public cloud
Hybrid Cloud
A hybrid cloud combines public and private clouds, allowing data and applications to move between them. Characteristics:
- Maximum flexibility: run workloads in the environment best suited to them
- Compliance-sensitive workloads stay on-premises; scalable workloads use public cloud
- Requires network connectivity between environments (VPN or ExpressRoute)
Multi-Cloud
Multi-cloud means using services from more than one public cloud provider simultaneously (e.g., Azure plus AWS or GCP). The AZ-900 exam now includes this concept.
| Model | Who owns hardware | Who manages it | Data location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public | Cloud provider | Cloud provider | Provider datacenters |
| Private | Organization | Organization (or vendor) | Organization's datacenter |
| Hybrid | Both | Both | Both |
- ✓Public cloud: resources owned by a provider, shared infrastructure, no CapEx, accessed over the internet
- ✓Private cloud: resources used exclusively by one organization, higher control, higher CapEx
- ✓Hybrid cloud: combination of public and private, connected via VPN or ExpressRoute
- ✓Azure Arc extends Azure management to on-premises and multi-cloud environments
- ✓Multi-cloud uses services from more than one public cloud provider simultaneously
1. A financial institution must keep customer data within its own datacenters for regulatory reasons but wants to use Azure for analytics workloads. Which deployment model best describes this scenario?
2. Which Azure service enables management of on-premises servers and resources through the Azure portal, extending Azure governance to hybrid environments?
Recommended: Pluralsight
This free course covers the theory. Pluralsight adds guided video paths, hands-on Azure labs, and timed practice exams to help you pass AZ-900 with confidence.